U.S. Mission Canada Alumni Newsletter

January 2017

Happy New Year and Happy 150th Canada! We look forward to celebrating this monumental year with our Canadian friends and neighbors.

In honor of the close relationship between our two countries, U.S. Embassy Ottawa will present two ex- hibitions and a photographic essay at the National Capital Commission’s 150 International Pavilion, 50 Sussex Drive, from February 1 to February 19. The displays will showcase the historic relationship be- tween our countries, the lives of Indigenous peoples, and U.S.-Canada cooperation on Arctic issues. The exhibits highlight intriguing stories involving our countries and emphasize the important cultural con- nections we share.

The Embassy is also pleased to feature “North is Freedom: The Legacy of the Underground Railroad,” a photographic essay by Canadian photographer Yuri Dojc that celebrates the descendants of free- dom-seekers who escaped slavery in the United States and built new lives in Canada.

The International Pavilion, open to the public, will host an array of events including panel discussions, film screenings, and a musical performance. Click here for schedule of events in Ottawa. The exhibi- Eleanore Boyse tion will travel to other locations in Canada through- out 2017. Stay tuned for updates! Alumni Coordinator [email protected]

Spotlight on Alumni

MP Matt DeCourcey, IVLP 2016, named Parlia- mentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Af- fairs effective January 30. Matt was elected in October 2015 as a Member of Par- liament for the riding of Fredericton, New Brunswick. Previously, Matt worked for former MP and Cabinet Min- ister Andy Scott and former Labrador MP and Metis leader Todd Russell. In 2016, Matt participated in the “Identity Politics in the United States” IVLP.

Gregory Francis, 2013 Youth Ambassador, named to Prime Minister’s Youth Council

Congratulations to Gregory Francis of Kingsclear First Nation in New Brunswick (middle row right), who was selected to the exclusive Youth Council this fall. Gregory is a student at the Uni- versity of New Brunswick. He has earned a reputation as a positive role model for First Nations youth and as a facilitator of youth engagement. For more on Greg see THE DAILY GLEANER (Fredericton, NB) October 11, 2016

Fulbright alumnus Philip Glass, receives Glenn Gould Prize The U.S. Mission to Canada honored Fulbright alumnus and preeminent American composer Philip Glass on November 26, 2016, when he received the Glenn Gould Prize for his contribu- tions to music. Maestro Glass studied in Paris as a Fulbright grantee in the 1960s. The Toronto-based Glenn Gould Foundation chose him as the 11th recipient of the Glenn Gould Prize. Pictured at the reception in honor of Maestro Glass are (left to right) Kay Mayfield, Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs of the U.S. Mission to Canada and member of the Fulbright Canada board of directors; Brian Levine, Execu- tive Director of the Glenn Gould Foun- dation; Dr. Roseann Runte, President and Vice-Chancellor of Carleton University and President of the Fulbright Canada board of direc- tors; Philip Glass; Dr. Michael Hawes, Executive Director of Fulbright Canada; and Cameron Mac- Kay, Director General of Trade Sectors at Global Affairs Canada and member of the Fulbright Can- ada board of directors. (Photo courtesy of the Glenn Gould Foundation.)

Laura Lynes, IVLP 2014, presents at COP22

Laura Lynes, IVLP alumna, presented in Marrakech, Morocco, at the 2016 UN- FCCC Convention of the Parties (COP22). Laura led a team of experts who addressed the global audience about best practices in building trusting partnerships with indigenous communi- ties. Her presentation focused on a pilot project of The Rockies Institute – Build- ing Resilience and Adaptation in the Kainai First Nation – that was supported by a grant from the U.S. Consulate in Calgary. The Rockies Institute, founded by Laura, is a new charitable organiza- tion in Canada that seeks to create awareness in businesses (especially small and medium-sized enterprises) and vulnerable communities about the risks and opportunities related to climate change. News from Around Canada

Ottawa

Smithsonian Curators DVC

Groups of alumni in Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, and Calgary gathered in the Embassy and respective Consu- lates for a digital video conference with two curators from the Smithsonian who work on the preservation of Indigenous languages. The event produced an in- sightful discussion of best practices and problems in how to keep these lan- guages alive. For those who missed the event, you can watch it here .

Annie Proulx Luncheon

On September 30, 2016, sev- eral alumni joined Annie Proulx at the Residence of Ambassador and Mrs. Hey- man for a lunch in honor of the Pulitzer Prize–winning author. Left to right: George Ander- son (Harvard Fellow); Annie Proulx; Brian Crowley (PIP,) Managing Director of the Mac- donald-Laurier Institute; and Anne Dance (PIP) and Direc- tor of PIP. The role of identity politics in U.S. elections, November 2016 IVLP

As the 2016 U.S. election neared, 10 Canadians from across the country traveled on the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program to witness the campaigns and elections up close. The theme of the program, “Identity Politics in the United States,” offered a comparative look at how special interest groups in the Unit- ed States and Canada make their voic- es heard in the political process. The Canadian visitors represented pol- itics, academia, and the media. They traveled to Washington, D.C.; New Or- leans; and Cleveland, to spend elec- tion night in the key swing state of Ohio.

Two of the travelers, Members of Parliament Nathan Cullen and Garnett Genuis, shared observa- tions at a panel at the Embassy in December. Speaking to a 70-person audience that drew from across Canada's political spectrum, they discussed the formal briefings U.S. electoral experts of- fered them and the conversations with everyday people that gave a deeper look at American politi- cal culture. During their U.S. tour, they learned about the nuts and bolts of American campaigns and election management, heard different points of view about the regulation of campaign contribu- tions in the U.S., and dug into ways that social media are changing political communication. It was an insightful, fascinating event and reminded all in attendance that even though the United States and Canada are the closest of friends, neighbors, and allies, there are always opportunities to learn more about each other!

Toronto

Youth Ambassadors visit Consulate

On October 26, Toronto Consul General Juan Alsace, Public Affairs Officer Hilary Renner, and Cultural Assistant Claudia Valladolid welcomed five outstanding Canadian youth com- munity leaders who participated in the 2016 Youth Ambas- sadors program. Nana Boahen, Tsahai Carter, Jacob Da- Costa, Gil Angela Dela Cruz, and Justin Xu, as well as Amy Sotherden, Assistant Director of the Center for the Study of Canada/Institute on Québec Studies at SUNY Plattsburg, participated in a Mentoring Forum. The Youth Ambassadors had an opportunity to discuss with the Consul General Alsace a variety of issues related to their exchange experience and their service projects. They shared information about their current activities on their service projects in their schools and communities and how the projects will have a short-term or longer-term impact on their communi- ty. The Youth Ambassadors highlighted how their participation in the program most benefited them personally and discussed their feedback and lessons learned. CALGARY

Discussion with Lee Brenner from Microsoft

Alumni from Calgary gathered in October for a discussion at Consul General Tom Palaia’s residence with Lee Brenner, who works on civic engagement and technology for Microsoft in Washington, D.C. Over breakfast, Brenner discussed how technology use in political campaigns has evolved since 2008—the first presidential race to incorporate social media and online engagement as a major part of a campaign strategy. With young voters receiv- ing nearly 75% of their news from online sources, campaigns must have an online strategy that incorporates the newest social media platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, to reach this demographic. Just having an online presence isn’t enough, as Brenner underscored the importance of authenticity in candidate interactions online and offline. Technology such as Microsoft Pulse is now being incorporated by major media outlets to gauge audience reactions to candidates during debates and other large-scale public interactions in real time. This tech- nology offers valuable and immediate feedback for campaigns, because viewers are able to weigh in directly on whether they agree or disagree with a candidate’s statement or posi- tion and vote on candidate authenticity as they speak. Brenner’s breakfast with alumni was part of a two-day program in Calgary and Winnipeg that included visits to universities and other professionals in the communication and technology fields to discuss the role of tech- nology in elections.

Halifax

Presidential Election Night

State Alumni attended the Presidential Election viewing event in Halifax. The evening was a won- derful opportunity for alumni to reconnect and meet other contacts of Consulate General Halifax.

Gary Logan, Jason Mullin, and Dave MacKenzie, who traveled together on the “Securing North America” IVLP in 2011.

IVLP Crew: Dave MacKenzie (2011), Jody Rice Gallagher (2011), Jason Mullen (2011), Natasha Jackson (2010), Johnny McPherson (2009), and Gary Logan (2011) enjoyed catching up.

Congress to Campus

On September 30, Halifax Consul Gen- eral Steven Giegerich hosted two Con- gress to Campus speakers at his resi- dence. Among the guests were several State alumni including two recent Youth Ambassadors. Shown here are former Congressman Martin Lancaster, Jack deGooyer(YA 2015), Katherine Cha- put (YA 2016), and former Congress- man Steve Kuykendall. Jack is a first- year student at Dalhousie studying engi- neering and Katherine is in high school. U.S. Mission Public Affairs Staff Canada-Wide Alumni Coordina- Eleanore Boyse 613-688-5313 [email protected] tor or [email protected]

Halifax Marcia Seitz-Ehler 902-442-2085 [email protected] Montreal Chantale Breton 514-908-3657 [email protected]

Quebec City Alexandre Ruel-Bourassa 418-692-4008 Ruel-

Toronto Claudia Valladolid 416-595-1721 [email protected]

Winnipeg Brad Kirbyson 204-940-1801 [email protected]

Calgary Casey Bohn 403-444-5221 [email protected] Vancouver Corina Vlad 604-642-6657 [email protected]

Fulbright Alumni Relations Alanna Blackie 613-688-5521 [email protected]

Do you have a new job? Have you changed jobs? News to report? Send me your submissions for the newsletter! We are also eager to have your updated contact information so we can keep in touch! You can email us at: [email protected] or email Eleanore Boyse directly at: [email protected]

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